


That Thing About Steve

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [90]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Canonical Character Death, Car Accidents, M/M, Out of Body Experiences, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27088888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Haunted prompt:Any, any, We passed upon the stair / We spoke of was and when / Although I wasn't there / He said I was his friend / Which came as a surprise / I spoke into his eyes / I thought you died alone / A long, long time ago (David Bowie)In which Steve shares the story about the most traumatic, life-changing moment in his life.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [90]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610332
Comments: 16
Kudos: 48
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020, Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	That Thing About Steve

**Author's Note:**

> Also written for h/c bingo: accidents

When Steve was fifteen, he and his mother were in a car accident.

They’d been driving up the H2 toward Hale’iwa Ali’i Beach for the Hawaiian Pro surfing competition. Steve wasn’t competing, at least not that year, but he’d been on extra good behavior so he could go and spectate.

The weather had been great, Steve and his mom had been talking about plans for Thanksgiving, and then some jerk tried to pass when there was oncoming traffic. The moment would forever be a blur to Steve – his mother cursing, the squeal of tires, the sickening jolt as they were hit, the disorientation as the car rolled.

The next thing he knew, he was standing near the crumpled remains of the car. He could see his mother hanging from her seatbelt, her bloody face distorted by the shattered windshield. 

“Mom? Mom!”

He tried to get to her, tried to help her, but he couldn’t. His hands kept sliding off the door, not quite making contact. Steve could see, because the glass in the driver’s side window was completely gone, that his mom’s eyes were open. But empty. Horribly empty.

“Mom! Please!”

Steve ran around to the other side of the car and stopped short. Because he was still inside the car. Except he was also outside the car.

In-the-car Steve looked pretty banged up and bloody, but he might’ve still been breathing. Not like Mom. Mom wasn’t breathing. _Mom wasn’t breathing._

“Help! Someone, please help!”

Steve screamed, but he couldn’t tell if anyone heard. Or if anyone was even there. Everything around the car was hazy and indistinct, sounds muffled.

And then the car was suddenly farther away than it had been just a second ago, and Steve couldn’t get any closer to it no matter what he did.

“Mom!”

Father away again, and now Steve could see a light, shimmering in midair like a mystical doorway. And he understood. He was dying over there in the car, next to his mother. The light must be the one people with near-death experiences always claimed they saw. Steve had never believed in that.

He didn’t want to die.

Steve wasn’t ready to go. There was so much he still wanted to do with his life. And he couldn’t leave Dad on his own, not like this. 

He planted his feet and curled his hands into fists.

“No!”

Steve got closer to the car, the movement jerky like a movie on fast foward. He clenched his jaw.

“No!”

The car jerked closer again, and the light dimmed.

It was his choice, and he chose to stay. He wasn’t leaving his body. He wasn’t leaving his _life_. Steve knew he was crying, even if he couldn’t feel the tears.

“I’m sorry, Mom. But I can’t go yet.”

Steve was next to the car again, looking at his own battered body. He didn’t know how he was going to get back into it, or if he’d be able to hold on to his body once he did, but there was no other option for him.

He pushed at the invisible barrier that separated him from his body, all the while thinking, _No, no, no_!

*o*o*o*

Bethany watched him with wide eyes, hands jammed into the pouch pocket of her pink hoodie.

“You did it,” she said breathlessly. “You got back in.”

Steve nodded. He was almost physically exhausted from telling the story and reliving those emotions. He’d never shared it before, had never revealed his secret to anyone. But Bethany was a ghost herself, and she’d been able to tell that something about Steve was different.

Honestly, it was kind of a relief to have finally told someone. And a selfish part of him fully expected Bethany to share his story with Danny so he wouldn’t have to. He didn’t know if he could run through it again.

“And then you could see ghosts,” Bethany mused. “That’s pretty badass, Steve.”

It didn’t feel badass. Sometimes Steve’s hold on his body wasn’t as strong as it could be, and sometimes being around the wrong kind of magic could pull him out entirely, like it did on Five-0’s first case against the witch. Which was also the first time Danny had kissed him, pulling Steve back into his body.

On the inside, he was still that terrified fifteen-year-old ghost wondering how long he could hold on to himself.

“You should talk to Chin,” Bethany said. “He could probably work some mojo for you, like he did for me.”

“Maybe,” Steve said noncommittally. 

“Come on, Steve. We’re a team. You can trust us. Besides, we all have weird stuff. You’re not that special.”

That surprised a laugh out of Steve. “Thanks a lot, kid.”

“Well, now that I know I’ll keep an eye on you. Just in case.”

Not for the first time, Steve wished he could reach out and ruffle Bethany’s hair. She was a good kid and hadn’t deserved to die so young. Forever sixteen. Had the light come for Bethany?

Bethany tipped her head, as if listening to something.

“That’s Danno. I have to go.” She pulled her hood over her head. “But think about it, Steve, okay? We’re all in this together.”

She winked out of Steve’s house.

Maybe Bethany was right. Maybe it was time for Steve to reach out.

Bethany popped back in. “Time to go! We caught a case!”

Steve was glad for the distraction. “Tell Danny I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

He scooped up his keys and headed out the door. His team was waiting.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** When I started this 'verse, this is the idea I had about Steve, which was hinted at a couple of times. I hadn't been sure how to approach it, and then this prompt came up and inspired me.


End file.
